Collapsible rocker



Aug. 23, 1955 R. THOMAS 2,715,937

COLLAPSIBLE ROCKER Filed June 15, 1954 INVENTOR. F054??? 1. THOMAS Jim 47' TUENE Y United States Patent COLLAPSIBLE ROCKER Robert L. Thomas,Brawley, Califl, assignor of one-half to Clifford S. Lupercio, Brawley,Calif.

Application June 15, 1954, Serial No. 436,759

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-76) This invention relates to a collapsible rockerconstructron.

An object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible orfolding rocker that can quickly and easily be arranged in operative orfolded condition, as desired, and when in the former condition is quiterigid to withstand the forces imposed by the weight of a person usingthe same.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a folding rocker, anovel form of separable brace that is quickly adjusted, connected orseparated and, when connected, fully maintains the erected condition ofthe rocker.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a Workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description. However, the drawing merelyshows and the following description merely describes, one embodiment ofthe present invention, which is given by way of illustration or exampleonly.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in theseveral views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a folding or collapsible rockeraccording to the present invention, the same being shown fully erectedand held in such condition by the present improved brace means.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the erected rocker.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the brace means released or separatedand the rocker partly moved to collapsed condition.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the rocker fully folded or collapsed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged edge view, partly in section, of one of thebraces.

The rocker that is illustrated comprises, generally, rocker bars 10,substantially erect members, such as the front posts 11 and rear posts12, the posts on each side being in the same plane, back members 13connected to said rear posts, a seat 14, and arm rests 15 disposed inthe planes of the posts 11 and 12. The above generally described rockerhas the components thereof hinged together and/or pivotally connected asto be in parallelepipedon form during all positions of erection orcollapse. Brace means 16 retain the rocker in operative or erectedposition.

The rocker bars are of generally conventional form and each is providedwith a forwardly placed pivot 17 and a rearwardly placed pivot 18, saidpivots, respectively, being arranged in forward and rearward pairs.

The front posts 11 are disposed inwardly of the rocker bars and areconnected to the forward pivots 17 and, in turn, carry intermediatepivots 19 and hinges 20 at the upper ends thereof. The rear posts 12,respectively coplanar with posts 11, are connected to the rearwardpivots ice 18 and carry intermediate pivots 21 spaced from pivots 18 thesame distance that pivots 19 are spaced from pivots 17. Said rear postscarry hinges 22 spaced from pivots 21 the same distance that hinges 20are spaced from pivots 19. Said rear posts extend considerably abovehinges 22 and said extensions are connected by back member 13. A similarback member 13 is disposed below hinges The seat 14 comprises seat bars23 that are connected at each side to pivots 19 and 21 and constituteside supports for seat member 24. it will be clear that seat 14 isparallel to the plane common to the four pivots 17 and 18. Therefore, aparallelogram is defined by said pivots and pivots i9 and 21 on eachside. Since members 13 and seat 14 connect the sides, a parallelepipedis defined by the eight pivots 1'7, 18, 19 and 21.

The arm rests 15 are also parallel to seat 14 because of the similarityof spacing of hinges 20 and 22 from the respective pivots 19 and 21.Said arms are arranged to be disposed above the front posts 11 and,because of the upper extensions of the back posts, extend only to saidback posts at the points of hinges 22.

As can be seen from Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the rocker can be folded open tothe position of Fig. 1 and, from said open position, collapsed or foldedto the generally fiat position of Fig. 4 for space-saving storage.

The brace means 16 comprises two similar brace devices, each of whichcomprises a link 25 carried on a pivot 26 at the side of each rear post,a link 27 carried on a pivot 28 provided in a bracket 29 afiixed to therearward upper face of each rocker bar 10. One link, for instance link25, is provided with a laterally directed tongue or projection 39 at itsfree end. The other link maybe provided with one or more holes ornotches 31 for selective entry of tongue 30 therein.

With tongue 3i so entered in a hole or notch 31, as shown in Fig. 5, thebrace device is rendered rigid by a slide or sleeve 32 that is normallycarried by one link and is telescopically engageable over the portion ofthe other link that is superposed with said one link. The slide isretained captive and in link-engaging position by a tongue or tongues 33directed oppositely to tongue 30 and at the end of link 25.

If one hole 31 is provided in each link 25, the rocker has but one erectposition, the same being determined by the elfective length of the bracedevices. If more than one hole is provided, the rocker can beselectively erected to assume differently angled positions relative tothe rocker bars and according to the number of such holes provided.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is nowcontemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, theconstruction is, of course, subject to modification without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, notdesired to restrict the invention to the particular form of constructionillustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. A rocker comprising rocker bars, front and rear posts, back membersconnecting the latter posts, a seat, and arm rests arranged with theposts to define a parallelepiped, pivots connecting said bars, seat, andarm rests to the posts, and separable brace devices extending betweeneach rear post and the rear portion of each respective rocker bar tobrace said rocker components in erected operative position, each bracedevice comprising a link pivotally connected to a rear post, a linkpivotally connected to a rocker bar, means to separably connect thelinks, and a member telescopically engaged with the 3 links, when"connected, to render the same relatively rigid.

2. A rocker comprising rocker bars, front and rear posts, back membersconnecting the latter posts, a seat, and arm rests arranged with theposts to define a par-allele piped, pivots connecting said bars, seat;andarm rests tothe' posts, and separable brace devices extendingbetween-each'rear post and the rear:portionof eachrespecfive-rocker barto brace said rocker barsand rear posts in"operative-position,each-bracedevice comprising a link pivotally connected to a rear post, alink pivotally connected to a rocker bar, one link having a-hole andprojection meansseparably interconnecting said links, and a sleevemember telescopically engaged with the links, when connected, to renderthe same relativelyrigid.

3. A rocker comprising rocker bars, front andul'ear posts,backmembers'connecting the latter posts, a seat to the posts, andseparable brace devices extending between each rear post and the rearportion of each respective rocker bar to brace said rocker bars and rearposts in operative position, the posts and arm rests on the same sidebeing disposed in the same plane and inside of the rocker bar onthatside, the rocker components being foldable on the mentioned pivotsconnecting them.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 247,524Tothill Sept. 27-, 1881 FOREIGN PATENTS" 965,417 France Feb. 15, 1950

